New Look: McKenna Grace and Maxwell Jenkins Bring Daphne and Fred to Life on the ‘Scooby-Doo’ Set

Bringing a beloved cartoon gang into live-action always comes with a bit of risk. Fans tend to have very specific mental images of what their favorite animated characters should look like, and any casting choice runs the gauntlet of comparison the moment photos start circulating.

That’s exactly the conversation unfolding around Netflix’s ‘Scooby-Doo: Origins,‘ the streamer’s first-ever live-action take on the Hanna-Barbera classic. The series has been rolling out casting reveals and behind-the-scenes glimpses for months, each one giving fans a little more to chew on.

The latest comes from a side-by-side set photo shared by fan account DiscussingFilm, showing Mckenna Grace and Maxwell Jenkins in character as Daphne Blake and Fred Jones, placed directly next to their animated counterparts for comparison. Grace’s fiery red hair and Jenkins’ tousled blond look echo the pair’s cartoon design closely enough that the resemblance has become the main talking point online.

Mckenna Grace and Maxwell Jenkins as Daphne & Fred on set of the live-action ‘SCOOBY-DOO’ series. pic.twitter.com/rVfnKjpRhl

— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) September 13, 2026

Grace was among the first actors confirmed for the project, landing the role of Daphne back in the spring after previously voicing a younger version of the character in the 2020 animated film ‘Scoob!’ To get into character, the actress reportedly ditched her signature blonde hair in favor of Daphne’s iconic red locks, a transformation she documented on her own social media.

Jenkins, best known to Netflix audiences as Will Robinson in ‘Lost in Space,’ joined the cast shortly after as Fred Jones, described in the official logline as the “strange, but ever so handsome new kid” who rounds out the gang. He’s stepping into a role previously played by Freddie Prinze Jr. in the early-2000s theatrical films and by Robbie Amell in the 2009 and 2010 TV movies.

SCOOBY IS FINALLY REAL!!! Meet the goodest boy in Scooby-Doo: Origins, coming to Netflix in 2027 pic.twitter.com/0FjfVAw4Bt

— Netflix (@netflix) June 8, 2026

They’re joined by Tanner Hagen as Shaggy Rogers and Abby Ryder Fortson as Velma Dinkley, rounding out the core foursome at the center of the series. ‘Scooby-Doo: Origins’ reimagines the group’s final summer at camp, when a haunting mystery involving a lonely, lost Great Dane puppy pulls Shaggy, Daphne, Velma, and Fred into a case that threatens to expose all of their secrets.

Beyond the main four, the series has assembled a sizable supporting cast that includes Paul Walter Hauser, André Benjamin, Cathy Moriarty, Rusty Schwimmer, Peter Macon, Sara Gilbert, and Bruce McGill, among others. Showrunners Josh Appelbaum and Scott Rosenberg are writing and executive producing through their company Midnight Radio, alongside Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter, and Toby Haynes, who also directs the premiere episode.

One detail continuing to generate excitement is Scooby himself, who will be played by a real Great Dane puppy for the first time in the franchise’s history rather than through animation or CGI. Combined with the cast’s visual fidelity to their cartoon counterparts, it’s clear the production is leaning into nostalgia while still carving out its own identity.

Production on ‘Scooby-Doo: Origins’ has since wrapped, with the series set to premiere sometime in 2027. Until then, fan-shared comparison photos like this one are likely to keep fueling the conversation about how closely this live-action gang can capture the spirit of the original Mystery Inc.

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